Damien Dempsey: Shots

Damien Dempsey's 2006 release Shots isn't as stylistically impressive as his latest genre-bending effort To Hell Or Barbados, but the fervent strength, incredible range, and robustly multi-faceted tone of his voice give even his simplest tunes a magnetic quality. And some of his best acoustic work and vocal performances were on the decidedly more Irish sounding Shots.



Dempsey's voice soars on the softly atmospheric "Sing All Our Cares Away", scrapes the depths of his vocal chasm in "Not On Your Own Tonight", and floats back up into a sweeter pitch on the ballad "Hold Me". The beats of the growling "Patience" foreshadow the reggae experimentation of To Hell Or Barbados.

The epic vocals, haunting Celtic instrumentation, and historically dramatic lyrics of "St. Patrick's Day", "Colony", and "Choctaw Nation" lift the album up into a cinematically opulent realm. Listening to those three songs, it's no wonder that Damo is becoming such a star in Ireland. If the rest of the world has any taste at all, they'll soon follow suit.

The US release of Shots also includes three tracks recorded live at Dublin's Olympia Theatre in 2005, including Damo's catchy Caribbean sing-a-long ode to optimism "Negative Vibes". Some of the other tracks are a little lackluster in comparison to the more dramatic cuts on both albums, but even Dempsey's weaker tracks could wipe the floor with most other artists.

Damien Dempsey - Cursed With A Brain (mp3)
Damien Dempsey - St. Patrick's Day (mp3)

You can also watch Damien's half-hour acoustic performance on RTÉ.

Damien Dempsey Official Site
Damien on MySpace
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Damien Dempsey: To Hell Or Barbados

Damien Dempsey's vocal and songwriting talent would have made To Hell Or Barbados astonishingly good enough even if he had only stayed in acoustic guitar mode. But the Dublin native - often referred to as "Damo" in Ireland - didn't stop there. Instead, the ten tracks on the album genre-hop through folk, rock, electronica, and reggae. Yes, I said reggae. Not something you would expect to hear from someone who otherwise sounds more like traditional Irish troubadours. This experimental blend of what may seem like opposing musical styles results in a very interesting and exciting aural journey. And the genre gymnastics still take a back seat to the stunning quality of Dempsey's voice. No wonder his fans include Shane McGowan and Sinéad O'Connor.



The liner notes include a small glossary of Irish phrases such as "eejit", lyrics, and the historical inspiration behind the album's title. Like Flogging Molly's "Tobacco Island", To Hell Or Barbados refers to Oliver Cromwell's campaign that shipped Irish citizens to Barbados as slaves in the 17th century.

There are too many brilliant tracks here to choose from. But the ones that stand out the most to me personally are "Maasai", "How Strange", and "To Hell Or Barbados". The songs are in some ways very different from each other. "Maasai" has a somewhat exotic style and was inspired by the music and spirituality of African tribes, while "How Strange" and the title track are among the more basic acoustic tunes. Yet Dempsey's plaintive wailing and stirring arrangements elevate each song to a dramatic level.

"Kilburn Stroll" is another acoustic track, named for Dempsey's nightly walking route in north London. These simpler tunes show off the beautiful timbre and range of Damien's outstanding voice. The spoken verses of "Serious" are pure Dublin and illustrate the pressure drug dealers put on their clients.

The hints at reggae begin to show in "Chase The Light" and are let loose in "Teachers", which name checks Billie Holiday and Nina Simone among others. And the closing track "The City" mixes the Irish, African, and reggae elements with an electronic beat.

I was not granted permission to share an mp3 from this album, but here are two tracks from Dempsey's previous release Shots:

Damien Dempsey - Cursed With A Brain (mp3)
Damien Dempsey - St. Patrick's Day (mp3)

You can also watch Damien's half-hour acoustic performance on RTÉ.

Damien Dempsey Official Site
Damien on MySpace
Buy the CD
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